The Last King of Scotland Blu-ray Review
February 6, 2010 by Admin/Neil
Filed under 2010 Blu-ray Reviews
The Last King of Scotland is the crowning achievement in an accomplished career for actor Forest Whitaker. He delivered an Oscar® winning performance as the notorious Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in this 2006 film inspired by real people and events, available for the first time on Blu-ray February 2nd from Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment.
From Director Kevin Macdonald, the gripping and suspenseful incredible story of Amin’s rule is told through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young Scotsman who becomes the volatile leader’s personal physician, due in part to Amin’s unexpected passion for Scottish culture. Amin even proclaims himself “The Last King of Scotland.” Seduced by his charisma and blinded by decadence, Garrigan’s dream life becomes a waking nightmare of betrayal and madness from which there is no escape.
The Last King of Scotland is a very dramatic and riveting depiction of the existence of one of the world’s most volatile and ruthless rulers. Forest Whitaker is brilliant, as evidenced by his many awards. What is most amazing about his performance is how much of a stretch it is from his more typical, soft-spoken supporting roles. As in the role he played in Phenomenon as the meek friend to John Travolta’s character.
This movie offers both a lesson on global politics and an entertaining and captivating drama film experience. McAvoy does a great job in his starring role despite the fact that his efforts were underappreciated compared to the many awards collected by Whitaker. The two play brilliantly together and have a natural chemistry that you might expect the real personalities they represent to possess. One, a harsh leader, the other, a reluctant but committed asssistant.
The Last King of Scotland is Rated R for some strong violence, graphic images, sexual content and language. While these thematic elements certainly are necesssary given the nature of the story, they make the film too extreme for young audiences.
The Last King of Scotland Blu-ray special features include:
- Nine deleted scenes
- Fox Movie Channel Presents Casting Session – The Last King Of Scotland
- Theatrical Trailer
The Last King of Scotland Blu-ray Review by Neil of Movie Room Reviews
Walk the Line Blu-ray Review
February 6, 2010 by Admin/Neil
Filed under 2010 Blu-ray Reviews
One of Reese Witherspoon’s Best Movies comes to Blu-ray on February 2nd from Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment. Witherspoon delivered an Academy Award® winning performance as June Carter and Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar for his starring role as Johnny Cash in the James Mangold directed 2005 filmed biopic drama Walk the Line, celebrating the life and story of the “Man in Black”.
Johnny Cash is one of the legends of music and Walk the Line is a brilliantly presented portrayal of the trials and tribulations and the ups and downs that defined Cash’s music and his life. It tells of his infamous childhood where he struggled with his father after an accident killed his older brothers. The film shows how he made his move into music and his early encounters with drugs, which would come to demonize a good portion of his younger life.
Walk the Line also beautifully tells of the budding relationship with Johnny Cash and June Carter, as Cash leaves his first wife and goes for the woman who helps pull him out of his drug-riddled despair.
Johnny Cash was known by fans for his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as dark as the night. Cash is credited as a music icon because he creaeted one of the more unique and distinctive vocal sounds the rock world has ever known. Walk the Line is not just a story about Cash and Carter, it is an inspiring true story of one man’s unwavering devotion to his sound, his message and the greatest love of his life.
Walk the Line is a movie that you can watch over and over again. The music in the movie is amazing and if you get tired of the story, you can still appreciate the brilliant sound. Pheonix and Witherspoon have great on screen chemistry and this was one of Phoenix’s last movies before he transitioned into his most recent phase in life that could best be described as ‘weird’.
You don’t really even have to like Johnny Cash or his music to appreciate the inspiring story of a prominent celebrity dealing with drugs, who is led out of tribulation by his true love.
Walk the Line Blu-ray special features include:
- Directors Commentary by James Mangold
More Man in Black: 10 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director James Mangold
Extended Musical Sequences
Rock and Roll Ruby Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, Reese Witherspoon as June Carter
Cocaine Blues Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash
Folsom, Cash and the Comeback
Celebrating the Man in Black: The Making of Walk the Line
Ring of Fire: The Passion of Johnny and June
Walk the Line Blu-ray Review by Neil of Movie Room Reviews
The Time Traveler’s Wife Blu-ray Review
January 30, 2010 by Admin/Neil
Filed under 2010 Blu-ray Reviews
The Time Traveler’s Wife is an adventurous journey of a film that releases on Blu-ray February 9th from Warner Home Video and Director Robert Schwentke. Based on the number one bestselling book this movie weaves together destiny and devotion, past and future to turn an extraordinary love into an extraordinary love story.
Artist Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams of The Notebook) shares a deep emotional bond with her (sometimes) husband Henry De Tamble (Eric Bana of The Other Boleyn Girl), a handsome librarian who travels involuntarily through time. Knowing they can be separated without warning, Clare and Henry treasure the moments they have together, imbuing them with the yearning and passion of two people imprisoned by time…and set free by love.
The Time Traveler’s Wife is a unique blend of romantic drama with sci-fi adventure. In a similar vein to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the movie builds in an atypical non-linear way. The story bounces back and forth between past and present before the times converge for one fateful and climactic ending in the present as the wonderful and dramatic romance between Clare and Henry unfolds.
The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of those rare movie concepts that allows for a wide range of storytelling possibilities. It is brilliantly written and well-directed, though the viewer has to stay focused in order to follow the constant back and forth time travel. Glimpses of the story’s pending conclusions are mixed throughout the film, which helps key the audience into the direction of the story.
There are many wonderfully touching and funny moments in the story. Henry manages to always disappear for travel in the midst of the most awkward or intimate moments with Clare, including their wedding night. The stress of living for days and weeks without her companions begins to wear on Clare. One of the funniest parts of the movie is when present-day Clare encounters young adult Henry and they share a romantic evening together. When present day Henry returns, Clare jokes that she wasn’t exactly cheating him.
If you have a yearning for romance, drama, adventure, and sci-fi wrapped in one wonderfully told story, The Time Traveler’s Wife is for you. Eric Bana has never been better and Rachel McAdams delivers a performance that rivals her role in the classic romance drama The Notebook.
Buy The Time Traveler’s Wife Blu-ray from Amazon
- Actors: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
- Directors: Robert Schwentke
- Format: Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English (DTS-HD High Res Audio)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Studio: New Line
- Blu-ray Release Date: February 9, 2010
- Run Time: 107 minutes
The Time Traveler’s Wife Blu-ray Review by Neil of Movie Room Reviews
